Beverly-Center Elementary honors students

May 11, 2008

Beverly-Center Elementary School held its monthly assembly Friday May 2, to honor their Student of the Month and Citizen of the Month. The Student of the Month is chosen by each classroom teacher as the student who has shown the best academic performance during that month. Selected students for April were: Kindergarten - Shelby Arnold; First Grade - Bailey Nesselroad and Morgan Borich; Second Grade - Kami Wilson and Brayson Schilling; Third Grade - Katie Hart and Adrienne Dyar; Fourth Grade - Kelsey Duncan and Garrin Knotts; Fifth Grade - Grayson Thieman and Sara Metheney; Sixth Grade - Garrett Hall and Jessie Murphy; Primary Resource Room - Charlene Neuhart; Intermediate Resource Room - Matt Roush.

These interesting bits of trivia and some history about Mother’s Day came from a newsletter I receive. Here’s wishing a Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers and just-like-mothers in your life!

Which state was the first in the U.S. to officially recognize Mother’s Day? If you remember it was West Virginia, you are correct. In 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize Mother’s Day. Within one year, nearly every state had officially marked the day. In 1914, President Woodrow Wilson officially proclaimed Mother’s Day as a national holiday to be held on the second Sunday of May. Today, many celebratiions of Mother’s Day are held throught the world.

Throughout history, spring has been the season of the year to honor mothers. Ancient Greeks paid tribute to Rhea, the Mother of the Gods. Cybele, another mother goddess, was honored in Rome as early as 250 years B.C.

During the 17th century, Great Britain honored mothers on “Mothering Sunday”, celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Lent. On this day, young servants or apprentices returned home, bringing their mothers gifts of “Mothering cakes”. One of these was a very rich fruit cake called “Simnel Cake”, which due to Lenten rules, had to be kept until Easter. The Simnel Cake was boiled in water then baked. It was often finished with an almond icing. Sometimes the icing was of flour and water colored with saffron. Furmety was another Mothering Day treat in Britain. Wheat grains were boiled in sweet milk, then sugared and spiced. In other areas of Britain, “Carlings - pancakes made of steeped peas, fried in butter with salt and pepper - were served.

In the United States, Julia Ward Howe suggested the idea of a Mother’s Day in 1872. Howe, who wrote the words to the Battle Hymn of the Republic saw Mother’s Day as being dedicated to peace.

Some 35 years later, Anna Jarvis began working to have a national Mother’s Day holiday declared. Never a mother herself but deeply attached to her own mother, she hoped Mother’s Day would increase respect for parents and strengthen family bonds.